Left, World-renowned designer Lee Young-hee will present her spring and summer collection at the Seoul Fashion Week next week.Center, Cho Sung-kyong presented fall/winter fashion at the Seoul Fashion Week last March. She will once again participate in the 2009 spring/summer Seoul Fashion Week next week.Right, Park Jong-chul presented his fall/winter designs at the Seoul Fashion Week last March. He will hold his fashion show for 2009 spring/summer Seoul Fashion Week Saturday.

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Seoul is once again making a bid to become one of the world's fashion capitals, with Seoul Fashion Week kicking off Saturday.

Top Korean designers will present their spring and summer collections for eight days at the Seoul Trade Exhibition Center (SETEC), Daechi-dong, southern Seoul.

Organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Fashion Center, the event features fashion shows for men's wear (Oct. 18-19) and women's wear (Oct. 21-25), as well as Asian designers (Oct. 20). Organizers hope Seoul Fashion Week will help boost Seoul's profile as a fashion hub, not just in Asia but around the world.

The women's wear fashion shows run for five days, with designers such as Song Jain, Gee Choon-hee, Lee Young-hee, An Yoon-jung and Cho Sung-kyong showing their spring and summer designs.

Noticeably absent from Seoul Fashion Week are top designers like Rubina, Lie Sang-bong, Son Jung-wan and the rest of the members of the Seoul Fashion Artists Association (SFAA). A rift between the organizers and the SFAA has once again resulted in the association's non-participation in the event. Last year, SFAA also withdrew its participation during the 2008 spring/summer fashion week, only to return for the 2009 fall/winter fashion week last March.

Asian designers will be in the spotlight during the International Fashion Exchange Oct. 20. The ``Discover Asian Creative" event features shows by rising Asian designers such as Thuy Diep; Eley Kishimoto; Ravage, Raj Shroff and Neetu Gupta; and London-based Korean design duo Steve J & Yoni P. The pair are best known for creating a limited edition line for British fashion chain Topshop a few years ago.

There will be a forum featuring international fashion insiders Diane Pernet, Nicole Fall and Felix Boubkobza on Oct. 20.

Pernet, a fashion blogger and critic for Elle.com and VogueParis.com, will talk about the future of modern journalism in fashion. Boubkobza, France's leading creative director, will discuss strategies for Asian designers in the Asian market. Fall, owner of Tokyo-based Asian consumer intelligence agency Five by Fifty, will talk about prospects of trends and the fashion business in Asia.

Young Korean fashion designers are also given a chance to show their creations at fashions shows at off-site venues, Daily Project and De Vill Whoa-Su-Mok, in Cheongdam-dong, Oct. 21-25. Among the participating brands are Instantology, Johnny Hates Jazz, Paul & Alice, The Centaur and Play Circus.

To get to SETEC, get off at Hangyeoul Station Subway Line 3. Visit www.seoulfashionweek.org for more information.